


Work it, Bitch!

by yeosinnerz



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band), The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe, Boys Will Be Boys, Boys in Skirts, Coming of Age, Drag Queens, Falling In Love, Friendship, Growing Up, Humor, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:08:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27202954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeosinnerz/pseuds/yeosinnerz
Summary: When Vernon Chwe is fourteen, he kisses a boy for the first time.And when he's twenty-two, he meets a boy, another major change is made, and he can't really tell if it's for the better or not.A Chansol-centered Drag Queen AU about finding yourself, making new friends, and falling in love all at the same time.
Relationships: Bae Joonyoung | Jacob/Moon Hyungseo | Kevin, Chwe Hansol | Vernon/Lee Chan | Dino, Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Yoon Jeonghan, Jeon Wonwoo/Wen Jun Hui | Jun, Ji Changmin | Q/Kim Younghoon, Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi/Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Lee Jaehyun | Hyunjae/Lee Juyeon, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Kudos: 5





	Work it, Bitch!

**Author's Note:**

> i know i already posted this, but i had the reason to take it down because it didn't feel finished and probably never will be considering i am the pickiest bitch on planet earth, but i have added some additional dialogues and cleaned up pieces i thought was lacking. i will update the fic as i write it, so it may be awhile until the next chapter, because 
> 
> i've been working on this since april of this year, majority of it being completed in small installments during my time in quarantine with major help from [my best friend Vec](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wenjunmoon), originally gave me this idea for the fic and has been a constant pillar of fun and hilarity to keep me going through the past months. 
> 
> i truly hope you enjoy the fruits of my labor and hope to support me as i write this fic. you will see me develop over the course of the chapter, but also over the course of the fic. 
> 
> enjoy the fic !! 
> 
> -jun
> 
> [Seokmin Drag Set Playlist](https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/6Af6JTU1HNcZVxAKjwepX)  
> 

_ When Vernon Chwe was fourteen years old, he kissed a boy for the first time. _

  


_ It wasn't exactly a big kiss, only a cheeky little peck on the lips, and technically it was the result of a dare. He remembers the way Chanhee leaned across the circle on his hands to press the little kiss to his lips. It all felt so surreal in the moment. But, that didn’t make it any less life changing for him. He went home that night wondering why it filled his stomach with butterflies. He asked his mom what he should do, and she only told him it was normal.  _

  


_ When Vernon was sixteen years old, he stole one of his mother's fashion magazines from the coffee table. It was an old Cosmopolitan from when she was his age, pages worn with age and dog eared to look back on for ideas. He kept it hidden away under his bed, in an old shoe box additionally with two cigarettes he had been given from a friend.  _

  


_ Perhaps keeping the shoe box under his bed was not the greatest idea, as one day, when his mother was tidying his room for him, she found the box under his bed. When Vernon got home from school that day, his mother pulled him to sit on the couch and asked why he had kept a magazine and two cigarettes stored away under his bed.  _

  


_ "Now, Hansol, it's okay for you to have magazines in your bedroom, I don't care that you took this one," His mother had told him, handing him the magazine back. Vernon held the magazine in his hands, fingers pressing into the paperback, crinkling the vinyl paper slightly. His mother had tapped at his wrist to regain his attention. "But why do you have cigarettes?" She had asked, which half scared him out of his wits. He never touched them since he had gotten them. He wasn't bad like that. Only once, had he ever smoked, and it was the worst thing he'd ever imagined.  _

  


_ "Iㅡ" He managed to get out before he was quieted with a finger on his lips. His mother looked him directly in the eyes and told him not to worry, but that he shouldn't have kept them. She ushered him off to his room, to give him some time to calm down from the confrontation.  _

  


_ He was laying in his bed, flipping through the magazine when he overheard his mother telling his father that she had discovered a Cosmopolitan and two cigarettes in his room. _

  


_ "Now, how the hell does Hansol know how to make a Cosmopolitan?" He hears his dad ask, and Vernon can hear his mom laugh at his dad. It's some kind of old people humour, he assumes, but still smiles at the thought anyway. _

  
  


How the hell _ do _ you make a Cosmopolitan?

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


He learns how to make one later in life.

  


Childhood was easy. All you were expected to do was to get good grades, and stay out of trouble, but now, at twenty-two, Vernon doesn't really know what to do with his life. There is so much more expected of him now, to stay out of trouble, to have a good job, and a good family. He almost finds it funny that he is going to be spending the rest of his life working dead-end jobs just trying to stay afloat in a day and age where everyone is expected to be educated and rich. 

  


Vernon didn't even go to college. Too stressful and taxing on his mental health, he argues with anyone who asks, but he is really starting to regret that three years post highschool, working temporary jobs to keep his share of his apartment and the life he's barely scraping from under his fingertips. There isn't one moment he is not working, and everyone around him knows that he's about to crash someday from overexertion. 

  


During the day, Vernon's working at a daycare, and by night he's waiting tables until the early hours of the morning. He's developed the art of disguising his tiredness, and nearly one hundred percent of the time he's effectively hidden the fact that he's only slept four hours total in a night. If the kids can tell that you're tired, then honey, you're tired. His blood at this point is probably majority caffeine. The empty cans of Redbull in Vernon's car are more than enough for someone to be concerned about.

  


Tonight though, he doesn't have to worry. It was the end of his tiring work week, a glorious, glorious Friday night. After his shift there were two nights of relaxation awaiting him and time to catch up on missed sleep before he has to return back to his usual weekly work routine.

  


Vernon is a little out of it by four o'clock, an hour before his shift is set to begin and the restaurant is set to open. He could be back in the break room, sitting on his phone, but he's decided to help set up all the chairs at the table and roll napkins with silverware in them to pass the time. Some pop song he heard on the radio repeats in his head, but he's disconnected from it enough to only hear the baseline dully in his consciousness. 

  


"Hey, Hansollie!" Jun comes into the restaurant smiling, holding some papers in his hand. Vernon shakes his head, clearing his mind for a moment before he glances up at Jun with a pout on his face. Jun takes notice of his look and swings behind the counter and slides up next to him, bumping their hips together slightly, which causes Vernon to stumble a little bit from where he's standing against the counter.

  


"Hey, Jun." Vernon smiles back, momentarily diverting his attention to his hands so he can wrap the paper fastener around the napkin so it doesn't unfold. "How are you?" He asks the elder, focusing his attention entirely on him now, so he can speak. 

  


"Good, good. Anyways, I got an invitation to this new club opening up tomorrow night from my friend, and Wonwoo isn't able to come with me there. Are you interested in coming with me?" Jun asks, handing him one of the three colorful papers he had in his hand. Vernon takes it reluctantly, squinting to be able to read the text on the paper amidst all of the bright background and decorations on the paper. 

  


"I can't read this." Vernon says, handing the paper back to Jun, who takes it back with a frown on his face. Jun folds the stack of papers into something small, and tucks it into a side pocket on his backpack. 

  


"Well, anyway, there's this new club opening up in Gangnam, and I was told it's going to be big. Celebrities and other big name people are supposed to show up." Jun explains, waving his hands around animatedly while he speaks. Vernon nods throughout the entire time he talks. 

  


"Anyways, would you be interested in coming?" Jun asks him. Vernon stops nodding to think for a moment. He doesn't usually have time for a social life, outside of his roommate, Hyunggu, Jun, and his coworkers at the daycare. He hardly ever leaves the house if he isn't working, a social shut-in. 

  


"Uh," Vernon starts, quieting right afterwards. "I don't know." He says, before Jun's jaw drops open and he gasps, grabbing at Vernon's arms and swinging them around while he jumps up and down.

  


"You've never been to a club, right?" Jun asks, not giving Vernon any time to respond. "You're like, a party-virgin! Hansol, you have to come with me to the opening night! It'll be so fun, I promise!" Jun smiles, calming down but still bouncing on his toes. Vernon doesn't know what to say at all. He kind of just stands there with a weird look on his face until their boss comes from the back office to yell at them. 

  


"Moon Junhwi, you quiet down right now or you're out that front door! I can hear you all the way down from my office!" Their boss comes charging down the hallway, brandishing a pen in her hands, pointing it at the taller. Jun yelps, tearing his hands off of Vernon and turning towards Joohyun, who stares him down, still holding her pen. They stand in silence, staring at each other for a few moments while Vernon stands in the background. Jun's the first one to crack, laughing and dropping to the floor. 

  


Joohyun lowers her pen, a smile on her face. "I win. Now, kiddo, go get yourself ready, it's half an hour to. You don't want to be late for work, do you? Chop chop." She instructs Jun, who scampers off to the break room to drop his stuff off and get himself ready. Joohyun watches him until the door to the break room closes, before turning her attention to Vernon. "Hansol, would you be a doll and finish distributing the pile of silverware and napkins to the tables? You can continue making more of them later, it's not that big of an issue." 

  


Vernon smiles at Joohyun, bowing slightly, and then smiling at her. She smiles back, before she disappears into the kitchen to pester one of the cooks. Vernon washes his hands quickly and dries them on the cloth attached to his apron, before he picks up the wicker basket the silverware is in, walking over to table one, to place everything where it should be. Jun takes no longer than a few minutes in the back before he takes the other wicker basket to the other side of the restaurant to save Vernon some time by setting all the tables on his own. 

  


Yerim comes from the back office to unlock the front doors as soon as it hits five o'clock, to let in the first people of the evening. Vernon washes his hands again while Yerim greets the guests while Sooyoung, Seulgi, and Seungwan get into their sections to start welcoming their guests. 

  


When the first hour passes by, everything seems to go much faster as it usually does. When the last person in Vernon's section leaves at around one, he collapses on the floor, leaning on the edge of a seat, to get a little bit of rest for once. After what seems like an eternity, but in actuality, which is only three minutes, Vernon gets up off the floor and goes to grab a dish cart to start loading any leftover dishes and silverware for the dishwasher to clean. It doesn't take very long, and once the cart is in the kitchen, Vernon's at the front counter, doing a few things he's got to do before he can go home.

  


Jun walks up to the counter, eagerly tapping the polished wood with his fingertips. He slides up next to Vernon, bumping his hip up with Vernon's. 

  


"So," he sing-songs, drawing out his words just to pester Vernon the slightest bit. "Will you come with me tomorrow?" Jun asks, biting his bottom lip in anticipation. Vernon huffs, running a hand through his hair, and nodded slowly, looking at Jun. Without warning, Jun squeals, jumping up and down and repeating something in Chinese that Vernon doesn't quite understand. 

  


"You won't regret this, Hansol! I promise you'll have so much fun!" Jun says again, before he's darting off to the back room and leaving Vernon at the counter, slightly confused. Vernon shakes his head, and finishes his work before Joohyun can try and rope him into doing more work. 

  


It's quarter to two in the morning by the time Vernon leaves work, the restaurant clean and the bar top polished as it should be. Freedom, finally. The employee parking lot is quiet, and mostly devoid of cars, except his own and a few others. Vernon's bright red car stands out in the overhead light, the old model of the car almost glittery from the angle. The old Ford Mustang was very near and dear to him, the vehicle a very, very stark contrast to all the modern vehicles in the rest of the country. 

  


Vernon pulls his keys out of his jacket pocket, swinging them around his fingers as he walks up to his car. He has to unlock the drivers side door manually before he can pull it open and climb in. He's got the key in the door, twisting it and hearing the click of the lock unlocking when Vernon could hear his name being called from the back door. Vernon looks over to the direction of the back door, where he sees one of the restaurant's cooks is out on the sidewalk. It's Chanyeol, who has a piece of paper in his hand.

  


"Hansol!" Chanyeol calls, jogging over to Vernon to hand him an envelope. "Joohyun wanted me to give you this. She didn't tell me what it is, but it seems important. Read it when you get home." The taller bows to him. "Have a good night. Drive safe, kiddo." Chanyeol says to him, the last thing said to Vernon before he watches Chanyeol run to his car. Vernon looks at his name written on the front of the envelope, before he opens his car door and climbs in, and starting the engine. He lets the car warm up a little while he checks his cellphone. 

  


A few texts from Hyunggu, and a forwarded message from Jun which he reads both, only replying to the contact under Hyunggu's name. It's nothing much besides asking if he needed anything from the store, and then a follow-up text asking when he was going to be home, sent at the tail-end of Vernon's shift. He sends back a gentle,  _ 'Heading out now, see you soon' _ , to his roommate, before he turns off his phone and tosses it on the passenger seat before he's focusing on his driving. 

  


There's something calming about driving, where Vernon doesn't have to think about anything else except for making sure he gets from point A to point B and not having to weigh down with any of his thoughts. He quite likes driving, and does a fair amount of it, just because of the silence of his car. 

  


He starts thinking when he pulls into the underground parking lot of his apartment building, manuevouring his way to his parking space and pulling his car into the space next to Hyunggu's ugly, old hand-me-down 2010 Toyota Corolla sitting in the parking spot. He shuts off the engine, pulling his keys out and gathering the few things in his car, backpack included, and climbs out of the vehicle, locking it behind him. Vernon should not be one to speak about ugly cars, however, he reminds himself as he begins his walk to the elevator, that his 1995 Honda Civic with the ' _ I ♡ GAY PORN' _ sticker on the bumper is equally ugly as Hyunggu's car. Vernon should stop taking his car to work, that sticker has him in hot water every time he goes, because according to the supervisor, a lesbian in her own respect, says: "the kids shouldn't be knowing what gay porn is so early on."

  


He never fails to laugh at it, because as many times as Sunmi tells him off for it, she never makes him do anything about it because her supervisor hasn’t made her. Vernon has made a more conscious effort to start backing in his car against the wall instead of his front end to make it easier on everyone else.

  


Vernon never really gets over how eerily quiet the parking garage is so late at night, even when Seoul is the place in the country that never seems to sleep. Everyone in this apartment building always seems to be at home before two in the morning, except for Vernon. It's uncomfortable being alone with his thoughts, and he almost wishes that he didn't live in a complex suite, because the lack of cars coming in and out at the late hour should be almost concerning. He should probably ask Hyunggu to move, just to escape the high rent, family oriented apartment block hell that they live in right now.

  


He can hear how his shoes hit against the concrete floor, the gentle click-clack of his boots a heavy contrast to the gummy slap of the shoes he wears to work at the daycare in the morning. The quick changes he makes in the Red Velvet staff room after he gets off his shift at the daycare is almost hilarious, yet also awkward as Sooyoung tends to walk in at the wrong moment, screeching that he should just get changed at home. He lives too far from his work district to go home and change and make it back to work on time, so he continues this pattern, much to Sooyoung’s horror but to his benefit.

  


Vernon heads up the elevator to the seventeenth floor, and when it dings to alert him that he's on the floor, he makes his quiet walk to his apartment, as not to disturb the family in the second apartment, who must be sleeping. He unlocks the door to his apartment quietly, not to wake Hyunggu if he was asleep. The door opens silently, allowing for him to come in quietly, but the door closes a little too loudly for his liking. Vernon slides his shoes off and shuffles to the kitchen, being mindful of his noise so he doesn't disturb his roommate. He peels off his work clothes in the kitchen, and then tosses them into the washing machine, throwing his daycare job clothes in too. The machine plays it's signal to tell him it's on once he pressed the button. The whirr of the machine is quiet, and Vernon, now standing in the kitchen without his clothes on, makes the journey to his bedroom. 

  


He has to walk past Hyunggu's open bedroom door, and Vernon just hopes to god that Hyunggu doesn't wake up. Vernon's steps are feathered and light across the hardwood floor, past Hyunggu's bedroom, the washroom, and then to his bedroom at the end of the hall. 

  


There's nothing spectacular about his room, it's really just there to hold his bed and his clothes and then him when he sleeps. He doesn't even do anything in there if it doesn't benefit him. 

  


Before reaching his bedroom, Vernon acknowledges he should at least wash up before bed like he usually does, but he just doesn't find the motivation to do it today. He doesn't know why, since he's usually so diligent about his hygiene, but his body just seems ten times more exhausted than it usually is by this same time. He pushes the door open, dropping his bag on the floor by his closet, and beelines for his bed. The cold sheets feel like heaven on his tired body, and as soon as he gets snuggled up underneath the blankets, he pulls the remaining few items of clothing left on his body off, balling them up and tossing them out of the bed and onto the floor. 

  


He lets his eyes fall shut and soon enough, he's knocked right the fuck out. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


By the time he wakes in the morning, it's half past noon. Vernon looks at his clock, squinting to see it in the darkness of his bedroom, the only light being supplied by his half-open bedroom door. He stares at it until he gives up, sighing, and leaning over the edge of the bed to grab something from underneath it. He whips the nerf gun from under the bed, and lines it up in the general direction of his light switch, and shoots at it in hopes of turning on his light so he can read the clock. 

  


He has to reload the gun a few more times before anything happens. Hyunggu comes down the hallway without Vernon noticing, and while the younger is reloading the gun yet once again, and leans against the doorframe to observe. Vernon, without looking, aims in the direction of his light switch and shoots Hyunggu right in the eye. Hyunggu yelps, and Vernon tears himself out of bed with a blanket for his decency as he rushes to his roommate's side. 

  


"Fuck, I'm so sorry," Vernon apologises, kneeling next to Hyunggu. "I wasn't looking, I'm so sorry." Vernon pats Hyunggu's head until he can take his hand off his eye for long enough to make eye contact with Vernon. 

  


"It's okay." Hyunggu says, moving to sit upright. "It's not gonna do much except hurt for a while. I've seen videos like this online, but I never expected it to happen to me." He laughs, making Vernon relax a little bit and to bundle the blanket more around his lower body.

  


"You should probably still put a cold pack on it." Vernon says, while Hyunggu nods as he says so. "And maybe go to a doctor. There's more damage associated with getting shot in the eye with a foam dart than you'd expect." He adds, shrugging his shoulders. Vernon can remember a moment when he was pretty young, when he had some friends over. They were playing with nerf guns he'd brought back from a vacation in America, and one of his friends shot the other in the eye. He remembers how his mother advised his friend's mother to take her child to the doctors immediately, but apparently she didn't and then his friend went blind in one eye. Vernon remembers that kid never hanging out with him when his other friend was around after that. 

  


He worries for Hyunggu's sake, if only just a little.

  


"And you should probably put on clothes." Hyunggu says, startling Vernon out of his mind. "One of your friends sent you a million messages this morning. I saw all the texts, he says he wants to help you pick out something to wear tonight or something." Vernon tries to understand what he means. Was he doing anything tonight, besides taking a shower and putting on a face mask so he could watch shows on Netflix? 

  


Vernon takes a few moments to try and remember what he agreed to do.

  


Oh.

  


_ Right. _

  


Vernon was supposed to be going to a club tonight with Jun. 

  


"I am supposed to go to a club tonight." Vernon says, mainly to himself, but Hyunggu, next to him, nods his head in awe. "What the fuck do you even wear to a club?" Vernon asks, and Hyunggu shrugs. 

  


"Ask your friend. Preferably after you get dressed. I'm going to go to the emergency care for my eye, so I can blame you for my reason being there." Hyunggu smiles, getting off the floor and going down the hallway, Vernon watching as he disappears from view past the kitchen. 

  


Bundling up in his blanket, Vernon rolls across his bedroom and pulls a pair of pyjama pants from his clothes basket, moving to shimmy them over his naked hips while still under the blanket. He accidentally drops his hips on the ground a few times trying to turn so he can get them on his legs, but he does get them on, which he considers a win for himself. Vernon deposits his ruffled comforter on his bed before he ventured out to the hallway and then to the kitchen, where he left his phone on the counter by the sink. 

  


The device lights up with a new notification, adding to the large amount from Kakaotalk on it's own. As expected, it's from Jun. 

  


Jun's texts are nothing short of energetic, even in his waking hours. 

  


Jun: Hi!!!!!!

Good Morning!!!! :) Are you still interested in coming with me tonight?? You promised!!!

I can pick you up tonight!!!

Do you need help picking an outfit??

Pick something that shows off you!!!!

Like your personality!!!!!!

I'll pick you up at about 5, the club opens at 8!!!

I know the owner, she's really cool!!!! She is letting us in early even!! You'll love her!!!!!

  


Vernon snorts, reading through the plenty of messages Jun left him over the course of the morning, the most recent having been mere minutes ago. He takes some time to think over an appropriate response before he even types.

  


Vernon's phone vibrates and the screen loads up a new message immediately.

  


Jun: Good Afternoon, sleepy head!!!!!! I know you saw the messages just now

  


Vernon smiles, pulling up his keyboard without a singular thought. 

  


Hansol: Good Afternoon, Jun

Yes, I will still go with you to that club thingy

What does one even wear to a club?

  


Jun: Clothes, duh!!!

I'm just kidding hahahaha

Usually something dressy, I think!

  


Hansol: Oh, so whatever reflects my style? ****

  


Jun: Yes!!

  


Hansol: Okay, thank you

  


Jun: I usually dress up for stuff like that, so please do not be surprised when you see me !!!

I will pick you up tonight!!!!

Send me pictures of what you're going to wear tonight and I'll give you feedback, but ask Kino for help wherever he is

  


Hansol: Hospital

  


Jun: Oh, well, pick something out of your closet and then send me a picture and I can help you make it look cooler afterwards!!!

  


Hansol: Ok

Thanks Hyung

  
  


Vernon drops his phone back onto the counter, moving to one of the overhead cupboards to find something to eat. He settles on something simple to tide him over until he can allot more time to a proper meal later. He stuffs the granola bar into his mouth, before he grabs his phone and goes back down the hallway to his bedroom.

  


He has never gone to a club, for starters, so he doesn't even remotely have a clue on what you wear to one. Vernon slides open the mirrored door with one hand as he stares blankly at his assortment of colorful clothing. As he stands there, his free hand covers a yawn while he stares into the closet, seemingly unable to pick what to wear. 

  


After what seems like five minutes, Vernon swipes a hand through the wardrobe, settling on a few of his favourite pieces of clothing. He pulls the hangers from the hook and tosses them to the bed behind him, dropping down to look through his box of accessories and to grab a pair of shoes from the shelf. The bright rainbow swirl of his sweater contrasts to the inky black of his blazer. The glasses and beanie that are in his are striped with colour, just as they should be. It's a very Vernon outfit! 

  


He tosses the remaining accessories onto the bed and takes a minute to contemplate if he should change into the outfit or just take a photo of it laying on his bed. Jun may be able to visualise it better if he can see how it fits on him. Reluctantly, Vernon pulls on all the individual pieces of the outfit and steps into his shoes, too lazy to lace them up. He affixes the glasses to his face and beanie on his head. 

  


It is his most fashionable outfit, he thinks. Something he would definitely wear clubbing if he had the chance. Jun should like it. It expresses his personality well, he believes. He picks his phone up from the bed, and faces the mirror. Vernon opens the camera up on his phone and snaps a few pictures he thinks are good and sends them to Jun.

  


Hansol: [image attached]

  


Vernon tosses his phone onto his bed and takes his shoes off, to set them to the side. He throws his body onto the bed near his phone.

  


The phone dings with a notification. Vernon picks it up. 

  


Jun: …

What the fuck is that

  


Vernon frowns, as he types back a message.

  


Hansol: An..out..fit….? 

  


Jun: Not in my gay household it is not

  


Hansol: Hyung.. please

  


Jun: Do you have anything else? 

  


Hansol: No :(

  


Jun: I'm coming over

  


Vernon sighs dramatically, tossing his phone above his head and throwing an arm over his eyes to block out the light. 

  


He doesn't know how long passes until the doorbell rings, and he's dragging himself out of bed to go answer it. He kicks his slippers off before he gets to the shoe well, stepping onto cold tile with a hiss as he unlocks the door and shoves it outward. It stops when it hits the body outside and starts to close, but a hand comes in between to keep it open. It's a pale, bony hand instead of Jun's tanner, larger ones. 

  


Vernon steps back while the person opens the door wide enough to slide through. 

  


"Won...woo?" He asks hesitantly, once the door is closed and the two have made eye contact. 

  


"Hello, Hansol." Wonwoo greets with a small smile and a wave of his hand. He slides out of his shoes and steps up to the main floor of the house. "Jun was busy, so he sent me. So, this is what you are wearing tonight? I like it." He says. 

  


"Thank you!" Vernon smiles, wiping his hands on his blazer before clasping them behind his back. "He says I can't wear this, though." He frowns. 

  


"Yeah, I heard." Wonwoo says, flatly. "I am supposed to find you a better thing to wear, as per Jun's request. He said to raid your roommate… Ki..no's closet?" His voice grows hesitant with the addition of a new name to remember.

  


"Hyunggu lets me wear his clothes for special events. He's got a more socially acceptable fashion style, though I like mine better to be honest." Vernon says, gesturing to his current attire. "Come with me. I'll take you to Hyunggu's closet so you can pick something out for me." He says, starting the walk to Hyunggu's room, which is only a few feet away from the front door. Wonwoo follows behind him at a respectful distance. 

  


Vernon swings open the door to Hyunggu's room, and promptly marches to the closet, flinging it open. He gestures to it with both of his hands for Wonwoo to pick through. He flops out onto Hyunggu's bed, because he feels like it's going to be a little bit of time until something actually gets picked out.

  


Vernon loses track by the time Wonwoo presents him with two sets of clothing from his roommate's closet. A simple, all black piece, and a piece with a blazer and jeans.

  


"Pick one of these two." Wonwoo says to him flatly, pointing at the two piles of clothing he placed on the bed. Intimidated, Vernon grabs the number with slightly more colour than the void that he was also presented with. He says no words as he gathers the clothing into his arms. Wonwoo just takes the other pile and puts it away back into Hyunggu's closet, closing the door and walking out of the bedroom. Vernon takes the cue to follow him out. 

  


Vernon finds Wonwoo by the front door, obviously wasting no time to get out.

  


"I have to leave now to make it to work on time, but please try on the clothes and then send Jun a picture of it. He may very well skin the both of us if you do not." He says, pulling on his other shoe with the aid of a shoe horn Vernon has no clue how the elder has obtained it. He watches in silence as Wonwoo tucks it into his side bag and bids Vernon a quiet farewell and leaves out the front door. 

  


No noise is heard after that aside from the tone of the lock after the door closes behind Wonwoo.

  


Vernon just stands there for a bit. He doesn't know how long passes by as he stands there, spacing off, clothing in his arms, but he's suddenly much more aware of the time as Hyunggu walks through the door. He didn't even hear the door jingle as it was unlocked. 

  


"Holy shit!" Hyunggu yells, and that's ultimately what brings Vernon back to reality. He looks at his roommate, who is clutching at his chest with an expression that reminds him of something he quite can't place. "You scared the shit out of me. You were like. Standing there. Like a mannequin." He says, while Vernon bounces around to clear his head. 

  


Vernon hums. "What time is it?" He asks, eyebrows scrunched as he watches his roommate move around the kitchen. 

  


"About six o'clock, maybe? How long were you just standing in one spot?" Hyunggu asks, while pulling a cup from the cupboard to fill it with something.

  


Vernon's quiet for a few moments, seeming to take some time to ponder upon the question. "I… " he says, pausing for another few seconds to think again. "I don't even know." 

  


"Well, that's okay." Hyunggu says. "I see you had to go through my closet to find something to wear." Vernon nods while his roommate points at the clothing still bundled in his arms. "You should go change."

  


Vernon looks at the clothes. "Right." He backs slowly out of the room while Hyunggu smiles and waves at him as he shuffles out. His bedroom door slams shut.

  


Judging by the time on his phone, he's got just a little less than an hour to get ready before Jun picks him up. He strips out of his clothes, and stares at the towel that's sitting on his full clothes basket. If he's fast, he can wash up in the bathroom before he gets changed, especially since he didn't shower last night before bed. His hair feels greasy, so he hastily wraps the towel around his waist and darts into the washroom to clean up a bit. 

  


He's out of the shower before he even knows it. As Vernon's pulling his (technically Hyunggu's) shirt over his head, the doorbell rings and his name is being called from the living room. He checks his phone quickly, double checking the time before he leaves his room. Jun's early, which Vernon is slightly grateful for. 

  


"Hansol!" Hyunggu calls, and Vernon abandons trying to button up the olive blazer. He grabs his shoes from the floor and runs out into the living room. He stops, looking at his roommate, and then to the other person in the room. 

  


"Where's… Jun?" Vernon asks, staring at the woman in the room. She's tall and skinny, but Vernon noticed her figure is drowned out by a large sweater and jeans. She looks a little nervous, to say the least, as she wrings her hands in front of her while she shifts her weight between her feet. 

  


"Hi, Hansollie!" She says in a voice that's unmistakably Jun's. Vernon steps back a few steps from her to give her more space. He doesn't really say much to her, and looks to Hyunggu for reassurance. He watches as Jun's shy smile drops off her face. Jun drops to the ground, fake weeping. She drapes the top of her hand on her forehead dramatically.  _ Oh boy,  _ Vernon thinks _. Here come the theatrics. _

  


"Oh, how I knew that you wouldn't have liked this side of me!" Jun cries, patting at fake tears until Vernon gets closer to him to calm him down. He hesitantly reaches toward Jun to tap at her shoulder to get her attention. She stops crying immediately, humming in attention. 

  


"Hey, uh. So, what are your pronouns?" Vernon asks, starting out simple. He doesn't know much about drag, so he's trying his safe bet by asking about something normal first. "You know, when you're dressed up like this.

  


"When I'm dressed up like this, just how you would refer to your sister or a female friend." Jun says. Vernon nods in response. 

  


"Why didn't you tell me about this sooner? This is pretty fucking awesome, Junnie." Vernon says to her, smiling at the familiar face. Being so up close to her, Vernon notices the subtle glitter flecks in her eyeshadow, and the finely drawn hairs of her eyebrows. She looks ethereal.

  


"I didn't know what you'd think about it." Jun shrugs, which knocks Vernon's hand off her shoulder. She's pouting, looking up at the boy crouched above her.

  


"I wouldn't be mad, Junnie." Vernon says. "I don't know much about drag culture, only whatever kind drag race shows, really, but I do understand how you may feel now. I'm sorry if I scared you." The pout on Jun's lips disappears, and is soon replaced with a bright smile. 

  


"So if I take you to a club with other drag queens, you won't be mad?" She asks, looking hopeful. Vernon nods, and Jun squeals, standing up from the floor and jumping around. She grabs Vernon's hands and shakes them around with her in excitement. "Let's go, let's go!!!" 

  


Jun pushes Vernon over to the front, so he can put on his shoes, while she slides up next to Hyunggu, slinging an arm over his shoulder. 

  


"Are you sure you don't want to come?" She asks him, and is met with a small shake of the head. 

  


"I'm sorry, Miss Jubilee," Hyunggu says, "I've already got plans tonight, so maybe a raincheck on it, okay?" 

  


Jun nods, removing herself from Hyunggu and shooting him finger guns as she backs out to the door, where Vernon's standing awkwardly. 

  


"Ready to go?" Jun asks, stepping into her shoes. Vernon nods at her, reaching for the door handle, which plays its little jingle as he pulls it open. As Jun is following Vernon out the door, she shouts back into the house. "Bye, Kino!!!" 

  


The door closes before they can even hear a response, and then they're walking down the hallway. 

  


"I like your outfit." Jun tells him. "I think if we have enough time after I finish getting ready, I can put a little makeup on you to pull it all together. Not much, but I think just a little shadow would make you look nice!" 

  


"I don't know, Junnie," Vernon says, pressing the elevator button. "I don't think it really suits me well."

  


The door to the elevator opens, and Vernon steps in. He's half tempted to slam the button for the door to close, but Jun's too aware of the surroundings. She'd be mad at him if he did it.

  


"What do you mean?" She whines, stepping in after him. "Your features are flawless! You'd look beautiful even with a full face of drag, baby." 

  


"Maybe." Vernon says. "I'll think about it." 

  


Jun smiles at him with the brightest smile she can muster. When the elevator lets them out to the lobby, Jun grabs Vernon's hand and skips with him out the front door. 

  


Vernon catches Jun's (mostly) white SUV in the corner of his eye. The bright stickers stuck on the car seem to get higher in quantity every time he sees the car. Jun lets go of Vernon's hand, darting over to the drivers side of the vehicle. Vernon takes his cue to slide into the passenger seat. The engine comes to life and then they're shooting out onto the road.

  


Vernon decides after today, he should never accept the offer of a ride from Jun. 

  


Vernon's holding onto the support bar by the time Jun pulls into the staff parking lot of the club, having feared for his life for the entire fifteen minute drive it took to get there. 

  


"We're here!" Jun smiles, turning off the car. She opens the door to the backseat and pulls out some bags. Vernon makes the sign of the cross and climbs out of the vehicle. 

  


He follows Jun to a backdoor, which you should never do, where she raps her knuckles on the metal door until another woman opens the door for them. 

  


"Jubilee!" The unfamiliar woman exclaims, throwing herself onto Jun. Vernon holds the door open so it doesn't hit the women embracing in the open door. 

  


"Hoshi!" Jun (Jubilee?) screams in return. She drops her bags on the ground and holds on to the new Hoshi person for dear life. She drags Jubilee in, leaving Vernon to pick up the bags Jun dropped and carry them inside after them. 

  


The door slams with a thud and latches into place automatically. Vernon shuffles after Hoshi, who is dragging Jubilee to a side room. Vernon follows behind quickly. When he gets into the room himself, there are a few more women sitting at little makeup tables. Jubilee is laying on the floor, Hoshi crouched above her.

  


"Hansol!" Jubilee smiles from the floor. She points to the girl above her with a manicured hand. "This is my dear friend, Ho Exotic!"

  


Ho Exotic extends a hand out to Vernon, who shakes it in return. Her hands are soft, but yet still rough at the same time.

  


"Nice to meet you, sweetheart! You can call me Hoshi. It's a lot easier than my drag name." Ho Exotic smiles at him brightly, eyes forming happy crescents. Vernon smiles back, cheeks dusting pink at the gesture. "I'm sure we're going to be the greatest friends, you know!"

  


"N-nice to meet you too." Vernon stutters, trying to cover it up with a smile. "I hope you'll take care of me well while I'm in your acquaintance." 

  


Hoshi stands up and embraces the younger in a hug. "Any baby that enters under my roof is always guaranteed protection. You are a part of my family now, so welcome to the glorious life of Ho Exotic!" 

  


Vernon laughs, before he's body slammed by Jubilee, and then soon after, he's body slammed by the three women he doesn't know. He just takes it until Hoshi calls for them to back off of him. Vernon smiles at her. 

  


He stands there for a little bit while everyone disperses back to their stations, and then slides into the seat closest to Jun. 

  


He watches as she pulls a wig from one of the shopping bags she's brought, and sets it on what Vernon thinks is a wig head. Vernon watches as she slides a wig cap over her head and starts the process of affixing the wig to her head. 

  


"Sweetheart, if you're going to stare at her like that, you best be taking a photo. It'll last much longer than just staring at her." Hoshi says, and Vernon half jumps out of the daze he'd affixed when watching Jun get ready. 

  


"Oh!" Vernon says, looking up at her. "Sorry." He apologises, averting his eyes.

  


"It's okay, baby. You don't have to worry too much. Drag is interesting, right?" Hoshi tilts his chin up to be able to make eye contact with him. She pats Vernon on the shoulder, and then pats him on the head. He feels a little like a puppy, but overall pretty good. She's got a warm, inviting aura, which reminds Vernon of his own mother. He smiles at the gesture. 

  


"Iㅡ" He stammers. "I guess so. I didn't really have much experience with it growing up, but I started watching drag race when I moved out on my own. I really wanted to be a model, though. I really liked fashion magazines." Vernon says, and watches as Hoshi's face lights up at the mention. 

  


"Really? That's so cool!" She smiles. "You've got such a good look for modeling! Why didn't you pursue it?" She asks him, picking up his hands and holding them tightly. Vernon notices how her nails are covered in a tiger print in the brief glance he takes of them. 

  


"I didn't know where to start." He shrugs. "Plus, I kind of got caught up with life, so it slipped my mind. Even now too, I don't think I could balance it with the jobs I'm working now." 

  


"How many jobs are you working right now?" She asks, eyebrows raising ever so slightly.

  


"Right now, two full time. It's so I can at least try my best to afford my shares of the rent at my apartment building. It's such an expensive neighbourhood that I don't think I can keep living there." He laughs awkwardly. It's the unspoken topic that he and Hyunggu are both too broke to live where they do. It's something he doesn't really like to talk about as is. He doesn't even know why he's talking about it now. Hoshi's motherly vibe is really doing something to him. Talking about this with her when he didn't intend to feels a lot like oversharing, but it's obviously clear that she doesn't mind.

  


"I can't really move out either. My roommate's in the same boat as me and I really like living with him anyways." Vernon explains, fiddling with Ho Exotic's hands as hers are linked in between his and he can't really touch anything else.

  


"Have you thought about downsizing the size of your apartment or getting another roommate to make the cost lower in the amount you have to pitch in?" She suggests, and Vernon shrugs, shaking his head.

  


"I haven't talked to him yet, but maybe he'll be open to downsizing. There's quite a lot of space for the both of us as it is, but we don't have a third bedroom, so maybe I could convince my roommate to move into a smaller space with me so we can save more for our futures." Vernon agrees, smiling big and gummy at the same time. 

  


"Yeah, Hansol!" Jun calls from the other side of the room. "You guys have a lot of space, but not a lot of stuff. The apartment you have is nice, but I don't think it's a fit for you and Kino at this time. Hey, maybe in a few weeks time, I can take you apartment hunting!" 

  


"Maybe!" Vernon calls back to her. He turns back to Hoshi. "But yeah. I didn't think I could manage modeling alongside my two jobs. And I don't think it'd really benefit me that much either, since I only have two days off during the week anyways. So I decided to give it up and do something else instead."

  


Hoshi nods her head. She doesn't say anything, though, and Vernon's afraid he did something wrong. 

  


"You should try doing drag in your spare time, then!" She shouts, smiling big and bright. Vernon's jaw drops open. 

  


"No way. I don't even know how to do makeup, I could never be a drag queen." He says, eyebrows slightly furrowed in disbelief. 

  


"Sure you can!" Hoshi smiles. "I can even do your makeup for you tonight! And then you can learn on your own! How does that sound?" She asks, and watches as Vernon says nothing. He takes a few long, uncomfortable moments to process everything and come to a decision.

  


"You don't have toㅡ" She says, and Vernon cuts her off. 

  


"I'll do it." Vernon says. "Just for tonight."

  


"Great!" Hoshi smiles. "I'll have HiMoon block your eyebrows out while I go check the time and hope everything is going to go smoothly for when we open. She can maybe give you a quick tutorial on how to glue your eyebrows down if we have to go, okay? I'll be right back, baby."

  


Vernon nods his head. Ho Exotic drops his hands and waves him a little goodbye as she hurries out the door and a new face slides up next to him. 

  


"Hi! I'm HiMoon, nice to meet you." She extends a hand out to Vernon, which he shakes in return. "Let's get you set up with blocking out those eyebrows, honey." 

  


Vernon doesn't know if he should be afraid of makeup or the sheer skill HiMoon has when she successfully gets rid of his eyebrows in seven minutes flat. It's kind of weird to see himself in the mirror without eyebrows, his face covered in foundation. 

  


"Look, your forehead is even bigger now!" Jun smiles, sliding up next to Vernon. " even more canvas for your eyebrows and your eyes!! See, Sollie, you were made for this!" 

  


"Kabooki, come here! Come sketch in his eyebrows for me while I start on contouring his face." HiMoon calls to the last woman in the room, who rushes over excitedly. She tilts his head back and he can feel a few brushes on his face, but he zones out a little that he can't even tell how long it takes for them to finish. 

  


"Someone get Hoshi in here! We need her here as soon as she can be!" HiMoon shouts to somebody in the hall, who relays it to Ho Exotic, who comes running into the room, almost jumping in excitement.

  


"Get me the shadows, stat!" Hoshi shouts, holding out a hand behind her back, picking up a brush in her other. HiMoon slaps a palette into her hand. "I only have half an hour before I have to help out some of my other staff. BlueJae, get Jubilee your finest pair of tits, because you're in charge of getting her dressed as quickly as you can!" 

  


Vernon can't watch, but he hears as the hurried click of high heels runs into the room, moving around. He feels the swipe of brushes over his eyes, and the odd feeling of something inky on his eyelids, and then there's something being glued to his eyes before he's handed off to Jubilee and BlueJae, who attack him at a sudden force that has him confused. 

  


"You like tits?" BlueJae asks him. She's got a bra in her hand, and in the other, struggling to hold onto one of her breast forms. Despite her struggle, she's got a smile on her face and she even winks at him, making him blush.

  


"Well, yeah, I guessㅡ" Vernon says, getting cut off before he can even finish speaking. He starts to think it might be a habit of the girls here.

  


"Well, anyway!" She shouts, cutting him off. "You've got some now!" She fits the breast form onto him, and then fastens the bra on, though the purpose seems useless. It must be for added effect. BlueJae plays around with them to make sure they're sitting right, before patting him on the chest afterwards. Vernon looks at them, and then pokes one gently, feeling as it squishes under his finger like a real one would.

  


"Interesting, right?" Jubilee asks him, handing Vernon a cute little dress to hold onto. She holds a few pairs of skin coloured tights to him too, and then turns to get some other things, like duct tape… and some foam in weird shapes… and a weird pair of underwear. 

  


"Okay, Bucko, before we get you padded and in the dress with the wig, we gotta tuck you up." BlueJae tells him, taking the dress and tights from him and setting it on the counter. "We can let you do it yourself, but if you need some help, we can do that for you." 

  


“W-What? What the fuck?” Vernon sputters, going red in the face despite all the makeup piled on to him. BlueJae only smiles at his panic, before she starts laughing at his expression. 

  


“You take your junk and put back where it came from, you know.” Jubilee says from behind them. He can hear the smile in her voce without even having to see her face. Vernon knows it’s nothing short of humorous to her. 

  


"And how do you do that?" Vernon asks, moving to the side. He feels BlueJae come up behind him, gloved hand touching his arm. HiMoon took his jacket and shirt off of him ages ago, and he remembers how odd the texture of a kitchen glove feels on his skin. He actually doesn’t know how she wears those gloves for so long without her hands getting sweaty.

  


"Just kind of, tuck it all up from where it was before you got them. You'll figure it out pretty easily.." BlueJae says to him, guiding him over to the little dividing section of the room that he could take off his pants and try and do god knows what to his junk. 

  


Vernon looks at the items in his hands. He realises that there's no actual way he can do this. Leaning his head out the side of the partition, he sends a dejected look at BlueJae, who rushes over to his side. 

  


"You okay, baby?" She asks. Behind them, he hears as the door clicks shut as the music starts to play loud enough that it gets too hard to hear in the backroom too. He makes eye contact with Jubilee, who smiles at him brightly. 

  


"Can you do this for me?" He asks BlueJae, who nods her head rapidly at the prospect. 

  


"Sure!" she smiles, stepping behind the partition to help him out. He doesn't think much of it. Might as well get the awkward introductions over with early by letting someone he hardly knows touch his junk for the first time. It’s a life of new experiences!

  


Though, the rip of tape scares him only a little. This might be the worst of it all.

  


Tucking, in Vernon's now very limited experience, is awkward. He doesn't really like it much. He waddles out from behind the wall with BlueJae holding onto his hips. They put the stockings on him while they were there, too, with Jubilee coming in to shove foam into some of the layers to feminize his body just a little. He actually likes the way his body rounds out with the padding on his hips, and the curve of his chest. But when BlueJae wraps something that he soon learns is called a “waist cincher”, he notices how it all comes together. 

  


“You’ve got a cute body, baby!” BlueJae tells him, smacking his ass. He doesn’t feel it, of course, but still blushes at the idea. 

  


“Thank you!” He smiles, before Jubilee is bringing him another pair of tights and the dress they left on the counter back to him. She scampers off to go grab him a pair of shoes to wear, before she returns to finishing up the final pieces of the wig he’s going to wear. He doesn’t know how long they’ve been in the room since the club’s grand opening, but he’s actually excited to go see what it’s like. Maybe Ho Exotic will be happy to see him all dolled up. 

  


BlueJae helps him into the last pair of tights and then slides the jacket around his shoulders. She helps him into the dress, and then watches as she buttons the dress, and adjusts the collar on the top of the jacket. The colour is very pretty against his skin, he notes. Perhaps he’ll have to start wearing it more in his daily life. Jubilee comes around up above him and slides a wig cap onto his head, and then the actual wig. Vernon really only focuses on BlueJae, who’s crouched at his feet, his ankle in her hand while she shoves his foot into a shoe. 

  


“So, you may find it a little hard to walk in the high heels, but I can walk around with you if you need someone to balance on while you get used to it.” BlueJae says, picking up Vernon’s foot to slide the boot onto it. “These are Ho Exotic’s shoes, so you best be careful not to break them!” She warns, zipping up the side of the boots before she pats his feet. Jubilee, up top, is sticking the wig to his head and blending his to make it look seamless. 

  


When they both pull away from him, they push him in front of a mirror to look at himself. He hardly even recognises his figure as his own. It’s pretty cool seeing how all the girls turned him into someone new with makeup and some shapers. He would date himself if there was a female version of himself, he thinks. 

  


“You look hot.” BlueJae and Jubilee say to him in unison, and Vernon watches as they high-five each other. He smiles at his reflection, turning around in the mirror and watches as the skirt of his dress rides up his thighs already. It’s kind of awkward as the skirt begins to crawl up a little too high for his comfort, but Bluejae gives him shorts to try and ease the exposure of it all. 

  


“What do you want your drag name to be?” Jubilee asks Vernon, who shrugs. 

  


“I don’t know.” He says, playing with his hands while he waits. BlueJae gave him some press on nails at some time while everything was happening, but he doesn’t remember when. “I never gave it any thought.”

  


“Hmmm...What did you say your middle name was again? Maybe we could start there.” Jubilee asks him, watching as BlueJae slips out of the room and heads out onto the floor. She turns back to Vernon, who is watching her intently again. 

  


“Vernon.” He says. Jubilee smiles brightly, as there was a clear name that could be derived from that.

  


“How does Veronica sound as a name? You can take Ho Exotic’s last name, and become Veronica Exotic!” Jubilee exclaims, jumping up and down at the prospect. Her high heels click on the tile floors, echoing in the room. It sounds vaguely like clapping 

  


“Sounds cool.” Vernon says. “Do I have to call you Unnie, or..?” He asks, looking up at Jubilee with eyes full of questions. He really doesn’t know much about drag, and he’s now realising it’s even more painfully obvious now that he’s dressed up himself. His mind laughs at himself, all dolled up and clueless. 

  


“If you want to.” Jubilee shrugs. “None of us girls really care about it very much, so you don’t have to. Plus, HiMoon is actually younger than you, so I don’t think anyone will care too much if you don’t call us by any honourifics. Out of drag is a different thing though, so you should respect them by being polite. Got it? Let’s go.” Jubilee says, as she’s snaking a hand around Veronica’s waist to support her. Jubilee encourages her to take a few steps forward with her help.

  


Standing up in heels is much easier than walking in them, Veronica decides as she’s slowly creeping down the hallway of the club, Jubilee’s aid is very much appreciated. Ho Exotic’s got a good playlist going overhead, and while they weave between the sea of people, they track down BlueJae, sitting at a table with HiMoon and who Veronica vaguely remembers as Kabooki. There are a few other people sitting at the table that she doesn’t know. 

  


“Hey everybody!” Jubilee shouts over the loud music. “This is my dear friend, Veronica Exotic! She’s new to the scene, so please be nice to her!” 

  


BlueJae grabs her hand. “You look so pretty!” She tells Veronica, who flushes slightly at the compliment. 

  


“Thank you!” Veronica smiles, though, she jumps when the music suddenly cuts out and there's only the sound of a hand being tapped against a microphone that filters through the club. Everyone seems to turn to the front stage expectantly, where Ho Exotic stands tall and proud. 

  


"Good evening, Cherry Basket!" Ho Exotic calls into the microphone, revving up her voice and making the crowd cheer up. "Are you having fun?" 

  


The audience yells, making Hoshi smile. 

  


"We've got some good people here tonight!" She says. "See if you can spot them tonight, but be sure to keep your boundaries! Tonight, we're going to start off our first performance of the night with a christening by yours truly!" Hoshi points a finger at herself, 

  


Veronica isn't surprised to hear as the crowd cheers as the opening notes of the  _ oh god, is that Lee Taemin? _ filter in, while Hoshi takes her first position. 

  


It starts out slow, easily identifiable as Move. Veronica's eyes are following every move that Hoshi goes through. Her hips move almost the exact way Taemin's do in that cheaply made dance video. It's almost creepy how well she has all the moves down, and much more terrifying when the male backup dancers follow in the exact way. It's like they were trained by Taemin, that's how scarily good they are. Hoshi guides them through all the moves, everyone moving in tandem at every right moment.

  


It's sexy, almost sensual the way everybody fits right in. They changed the choreography a little in the middle, but it just makes the whole performance better. The way the backup dancers behind Ho Exotic support her and move in such complex ways while doing so. Hoshi, while being the brightest star on stage, picked good dancers that know how to move their bodies. She herself, too. How she hits every move like she grew up dancing this dance. The different dance styles shown upon the stage all work well together nicely.

  


The crowd is silent through the whole performance, awestruck in the control all the performers have on stage. The way they all move is mesmerizing, and when the performance comes to its end, nobody says anything for a few delayed seconds, before cheers erupt. 

  


Veronica's jaw is actually hanging open as she processes things long after the performance is over. She looks over to Kabooki, who meets her eyes and smiles bright at her. 

  


"Awesome, right?" Kabooki asks, shouting over the table so Veronica can hear. Still too shocked to say anything, Veronica nods her head rapidly. 

  


"So, how was that?" Hoshi's voice comes in through the speakers. The crowd gets noisy in a happy response. "Ah~ the backup dancers were so talented!" 

  


Veronica watches as Hoshi gestures back to the side stage for her dancers to come back. Her eyes linger on some of them as they all shuffle back around Hoshi. They're all so pretty tall that you could probably see them above Hoshi's head if she weren't wearing a big wig tonight. 

  


"Let's all give a gracious thank you to these lovely boys here!" Hoshi yells into the microphone. "I owe it all to my friend for getting me in contact with these young folk, so let's thank them all individually if you see them on the floor tonight! Let's have a good night, okay? I hope you'll enjoy the many other performances up for show later this evening."

  


Hoshi grabs the hands of her dancers and they all bow, exiting the stage shortly after. The music that was playing before the stage resumes and the pleasant noise of the Cherry Basket picks up again.

  


"Hey, Veronica!" BlueJae taps her shoulder. Whipping around, Veronica gives her a shy smile. 

  


"Hi!" She says cheerfully back, while her cheeks dust pink just at the attention from BlueJae. 

  


"Do you want to dance?" She asks, offering out a hand. Veronica recognises the song playing overhead, and makes her decision immediately. Taking Bluejae's hand, she's whisked onto the dance floor. 

  


It's nice to be free from responsibility, if even for a short moment, Veronica thinks. She loses herself in the music, twirling around BlueJae as they begin to form a little rhythm to the beat. This is probably the most fun Veronica has even had in years. 

  


The song fades out and a new one starts playing loud and heavy, but Bluejae's pulling her back to the table to sit with some of Hoshi's friends, who've just arrived. They slide into the free seats as Hoshi and a small number of people start bringing drinks over to the table. 

  


"Some famous dude just offered to buy us drinks, and I swear my dick twitched under all the stuff I tucked it with." Hoshi says as she sets her tray on the table. HiMoon and a queen Veronica doesn't know sets the other trays on the table. She waits and watches as everyone begins taking drinks from the trays before taking one herself. 

  


"Was he hot?" Someone else at the table asks, followed by a loud gasp from somebody else. 

  


"Jeonghan, you can't say that when I'm right here!" The other voice half yells, Jeonghan supposedly laughing at the claim. 

  


"I'm serious, though!" Jeonghan says, turning his attention back to Hoshi. "Was he, or was he not hot?" 

  


"Definitely hot. He was probably on the scale of our hot by definition but way lower than Hyunjoon. Way lower. Nobody ever can compare to that fine specimen of a man." Hoshi says, sipping from her drink. There's a loud smack that reverberates around the table, plus followed by a yelp from someone else. 

  


"Hyunjoon, you hear that? You're the hottest we know around here." HiMoon calls somebody at the table, who blushes at the compliment. 

  


Veronica looks at everyone at the table with obvious confusion. She sips her drink quietly, before Hoshi speaks up over it. 

  


"Oh, right!" She shouts. Veronica flinches at the sudden shift in volume right next to her. She was accustomed to the loudness of the club, but flinched at Hoshi's tone anyway. "I haven't introduced her to anybody, but this is my new drag daughter, she's new on the scene right now!" 

  


Hoshi drags Veronica to stand up to see everyone at the table. It's a little crowded, as she estimates at least twenty people to be there in itself. She offers up a shy smile and waves to everyone. 

  


"What's your name, baby?" One of the other queens asks her.

  


"Hansol." She says, smiling a little brighter this time. "But tonight, I'm Veronica Exotic!" 

  


"Nice to meet you!" A bunch of voices chorus around the table. Veronica smiles again, watching as everyone resumes normal conversation. One of the queens she doesn't know slides up next to her and taps her shoulder. 

  


"Hey, I used to know a Hansol back in the day." She says, grabbing Veronica's shoulder and pulling her close. "Do you know who Lil Chwe is, by any chance?"

  


Veronica snorts. Of course she knows who Lil Chwe is. Nothing can replace the crippling embarrassment of his schoolmates finding his soundcloud account he made when he was fourteen.

  


"Yeah." Veronica awkwardly laughs, smiling all the while. "Yeah. That was me." 

  


"Wait, seriously? Dude. It's Chanhee from middle school." She says, and Veronica feels almost nauseous. The first boy she kissed, the result of her bisexual awakening, and probably the reason why she ended up here today. "The last I would expect of you would to be in a gay club in drag. How've you been, Lil Chwe?"

  


"Good, good." Veronica awkwardly says. "How are you?"

  


"Good, thanks for asking." Chanhee says, laughing awkwardly herself. The conversation is almost torturous. Veronica blushes, looking away from Chanhee and tries to distract herself by playing with her straw. 

  


She flinches when Chanhee starts laughing maniacally. The feeling of eyes upon her is uncomfortable, because they're looking at her because of Chanhee's loud and unexpected laughter.

  


"Hey, Big Sis?" He hears Chanhee ask, and the acknowledging hum of attention from Hoshi over the thud of the music. "Can I have you listen to something for me?" 

  


"Sure!" Hoshi says, and while Veronica doesn't know what Chanhee is going to play, a heavy feeling in her chest brings a sense of suspicion about her former childhood classmate. "You have to make it quick, though. I have some work duty to return to."

  


From where Veronica is sitting, she can hear the faint beginning beats of a song. If it weren't such a familiar tone, she wouldn't have cared too much about it, but when the squeaky  _ 'uh huh, it's Lil Chwe' _ come through the phone speaker, it's pretty much over for any of her last remaining dignity. She pushes herself out of her chair and goes over to the bar, where she's greeted by one of the bartenders. She's looking at the pretty vast menu of drinks the bartenders have under their repertoire.

  


"Hey there, sweetheart." The bartender smiles at her. "What can I get you?"

  


"A cosmopolitan, please." Veronica tells her, and she gets to mixing up her drink while she takes another patron's order. 

  


It's pretty evident on Veronica's face that something's happening even if she doesn't realise it. So, as the bartender is sliding her drink onto the counter, she hands Veronica a slip of paper.

  


She hands over the cash to pay for her drink, and the bartender wishes her a good night. Veronica weaves her way around the sea of people, wobbly on her feet from the lack of experience in heels. Her drink ripples a little, her hands slightly unsteady as she walks. Once in a place she can lean against the wall, also conveniently by the back hallway, she takes a sip from her drink and looks at the slip of paper the bartender handed her. 

  


_ 'Hey! You look a little distressed. I have a break in 15 minutes, why don't you meet me out at the staff parking lot so we can talk a little? Of course, you don't have to if you don't want to, that's fine. Enjoy your drink! xoxo -Gowon' _

  


Veronica smiles at the note. Maybe she should. It hasn't been very long of a night so far, and to prepare herself for a longer time here, especially since Jubilee is her ride home, she might as well socialize with some other people. 

  


She double checks her watch and then half tunes out of the music, which is starting to pick up in a bass heavy tone that resonates within her chest. She watches as other patrons in the club dance with one another, bodies moving in tandem to the music that plays above head. 

  


"Hey, sweetheart!" The bartender Veronica now knows as Gowon shouts over the music, scaring Veronica into attention. She looks down at the shorter girl, who smiles at her in return.

  


"You coming with?" Gowon asks, reaching for her hand. Veronica nods, accepting her hand and following her down the hallway, past the dressing room and to the back door she came in earlier. Gowon opens the door, guiding Veronica out and then leaning inside to grab a wooden doorstop to prop the door open with. 

  


"Thank you for being so kind," Veronica smiles. "I really appreciate it." 

  


"No problem, dear," Gowon says. "Did you want to take your shoes off? You must be tired." 

  


Veronica unzips the boots and kicks them off, stocking feet touching the cold concrete. She sighs in deep relief, for the temporary time she can have them off.

  


"That looks like it was nice," Gowon says, unlacing her shoes and kicking them off too. "Now we're matching!" She smiles.

  


Veronica watches as Gowon pulls a paper carton out of her back pocket and flips it open, taking a cigarette out. She offers the pack to Veronica. "You want one? Or do you not smoke?"

  


"Only on occasion. I used to smoke more when I was in highschool, but money became tight after I graduated so I quit." She says, taking a stick from the carton. Gowon takes the back pack, exchanging it for a lighter, which she takes from her. 

  


When she lights the cigarette, she revels in the familiar burn for a few moments. It's nice this way. She missed it. 

  


"So, dear, what's your name?" Gowon asks, flicking off her cigarette. 

  


"My real name or my drag name?" She asks in return.

  


"Whichever one you're most comfortable with, baby." 

  


"My name is Hansol, but I go by Vernon." He says, dropping his persona for the time being. Gowon smiles at him, blowing smoke out of her lungs. 

  


"Nice to meet you, Vernon!" Gowon says cheerfully. "I think we will be good friends." 

  


"I think so too."

  


"So, buttercup, why did you look so down inside?" Gowon asks him, before ducking a drag of her cigarette. Vernon lets out the smoke he's collected in his lungs before he speaks.

  


"I just reconnected with the boy who made me realise I was bisexual and to be honest? It was fucking awkward as all hell. I'm pretty sure he showed the whole table something I made in school when I was fourteen." He says, taking a drag from his smoke and flicking off the ashes onto the ground. "I don't want to face anybody in there just yet." 

  


"Oh, I understand." Gowon says. "People can't let go of the past, right? It really does suck. Stuff from my childhood is carrying into my adult life even now." 

  


"Yeah! And the fact I'm doing something new now too," Vernon gestures to his costume. "I'm kind of out of my element and I feel a little exposed. This dress doesn't really leave much to the imagination, and I'm a little uncomfortable." 

  


Vernon tugs the dress back down his thighs, groaning as the fabric shifts when he switches weight to his other foot. "It's pretty much an inconvenience at this point, I think. If they gave me a fur coat instead, I would look like a slutty tiger even more than I already do."

  


"You do look like Miss Exotic, I dare say." Gowon says, smiling. She presses her cigarette butt into the wall, dropping it in the garbage can by the sidewalk. Vernon's has pretty much burnt down, whatever was left of it, even. He flicks the butt into the trash can.

  


"Thanks. I like the look but I don't think I have the right confidence to pull it off. I didn't really have a say in it. The ladies who did me up were too pretty so I was kind of entranced half the time." Vernon says, smiling. He leans down to slide his foot back into his heels, leaning against the wall for support. Once he's back on two stable (enough) feet, he tugs his dress back down once more before Gowon asks if he's ready to go inside. He nods, shuffling closer to the door. 

  


Gowon offers him a hand as they enter, and they hold the touch until they return back to the floor, seemingly more full than it was before they left. Vernon thanks Gowon for her time and for the cigarette, and she just smiles and tells him his next drink is on her. She bids him a goodbye as she's making her way through a staff door, and then Vernon's just standing there, listening to the thud of the music in the background. He stands there for a long time, he thinks, but time seems to flow differently in the Cherry Basket.

  


He's startled when HiMoon runs up to him, but he quickly puts on his persona in order to appease the people. 

  


"Veronica, come quick!" HiMoon blurts out in garbled English, which Veronica nearly misses. "Drag Race royalty is here!" 

  


"What?" She asks, before she's yanked across the floor, around the people. The music has turned to a low tune in the background, and everyone is looking at the stage expectantly. 

  


"Hello, hello, Cherry Basket!" Hoshi returns to the stage. She's holding hands with another woman, who smiles at the crowd. "I'd love to have my best friend, Baebee, introduce our next queen for the first full set of the night."

  


Veronica covers her ears at the cheer of the crowd. It's a little too loud for her liking, but as she's watching the front stage, she feels HiMoon snake her hand around her waist, rubbing reassuring circles into her hip bone. The tense feeling in Veronica's shoulders slowly ebbs away. 

  


"Thank you for having me here!" Bee smiles into the microphone. Veronica looks up to the skimpily dressed woman on stage, who pulls her coat tighter around herself while pacing on stage. "Well I didn't win my season of drag race, I know someone who has. She's here to give you a very big and special performance, so give a big round of applause to welcome the drag race winner, Soakmen, to the stage!" 

  


Bee walks off the stage, while a much taller, elegant looking woman comes on from the other side. Veronica covers her ears at the cheering that falls suit. She should have expected the frequency of screaming as it was a club with live performances. Her ears are just a little sensitive. Beside her, HiMoon sneezes. 

  


"Bless you." Veronica says. 

  


"Thanks."

  


"Now, thank you all for having me here!" Soakmen says into the microphone. "I'm going to make my speech short, but if you know any of the songs I'm performing tonight, feel free to sing along."

  


The crowd gives a round of applause for Soakmen while she takes her place on stage, adjusting her microphone on her face. She makes eye contact with someone off stage, before the music starts playing through the speakers. 

  


The choreography is obviously changed to fit Soakmen's dance style, but also to be performed alone. Veronica's mesmerised by how she moves her body across the stage, interacting with fans all the while. Her live vocals are what really sell the deal, and have Veronica watching her every move. The way she dances across the floor, moving her body at perfect timing that she must have practiced a million times prior has Veronica stunned at the sheer talent Soakmen has.

  


When she gets to the first main part of the dance, she unzips the little black dress she was wearing. It comes as a shock to what happens after. The crowd lets out a collective gasp as her dress shifts from what she was previously wearing to a deep blue, glittering gown. The way the material shines under the overhead lights as she's moving and exposing more parts of the dress that hadn't yet properly fallen.

  


She winks at the crowd as she continues through the rest of her performance as everyone has adopted a silence in shock at such a creative reveal. Veronica can see exactly why Soakmen won drag race. The confidence and talent she exudes is what has everyone charmed.

  


As the song fades out, Soakmen smiles at the cheers and applause she gets. 

  


"Fun, right?" She asks, twirling around in her dress. The way it flashes and glitters like a disco ball is so interesting to watch. "I knew you would like that one." 

  


Veronica is almost certain they make eye contact at one point, between songs, but there's no time to ponder on it when the next one starts up. A by Rainbow is an interesting choice for her set, but as Stellar's Vibrato and Red Velvet's Automatic follow suit, it makes a lot more sense why she put those songs on the list.

  


There's a little break in the middle for Soakmen to take a break and rehydrate, and she cracks jokes throughout the break as often as possible. She laughs at a joke Soakmen makes about her family dog, smiling the entire time until she starts her next performance. 

  


While the first few opening notes of the song play, HiMoon pulls Veronica closer, resting her chin on Veronica's shoulder.

  


"Eclipse is actually originally performed by one of the staff members here." HiMoon whispers into Veronica's ear. "Jungeun is one of our bartenders, but she does some stuff on the side. Soakmen asked her if she could perform the song. Cool, right?" 

  


Veronica nods, watching Soakmen dance across the stage, picking up notes of won while she moves her mouth to the words of the song. "She's so talented."

  


"You know it." HiMoon says. 

  


When Eclipse ends, Honey starts up right away. An interesting choice for performance, but the catchy tune has Veronica swaying to the beat. People around them are beginning to dance with Soakmen, who is smiling brightly at the crowd while she's dancing. 

  


HiMoon joins in, grabbing Veronica's hands so that they don't fall apart. They adopt a synchronized routine pretty easily, which has people cheering around them, until the song comes to an end. Everyone claps around them, and Veronica realises that the patrons actually cleared some space so they could enjoy the moment. From up on stage, even Soakmen is applauding their little performance. 

  


Veronica flushes at the attention, opting to hide her face in HiMoon's shoulder for the little time they have in the spotlight. She feels a reassuring hand on her lower back and between her shoulders, while the applause dies out and Soakmen is congratulating them both for such a lovely crowd engagement. If Veronica could see herself, she'd imagine herself to be as red as a tomato. 

  


While Soakmen is starting her final song, which is also fittingly, Gotta Go by Chungha, Veronica feels another set of arms wrap around her and hold her tightly. She’s squished between two women now, warm on both sides. It reminds her of her mother's hugs as a child. 

  


“Hey, Veronica,” She hears Hoshi say from behind. “You tired?” She asks, swaying to the beat of the rhythm to pass the moment.

  


"A little, but I think I can manage." Veronica says, as she's escorted to a small booth with a few other people. 

  


She recognizes them all from the table, but forgets their names. Hoshi presses a kiss to her forehead and assures her she'll be back soon. From the table, she watches as Soakmen finishes her stage, and when Baebee goes back up with Hoshi. 

  


The silence at the table is almost suffocating, for a few moments until someone coughs to break the awkwardness that's come between them. One person from across the table makes the noise. He's got his hands folded, chin resting on top. Saying nothing, he makes eye contact with Veronica, who shys away slightly. 

  


"I've never seen you around before." The stranger starts. "What brings you to the Cherry Basket, huh?"

  


"Jun-hyung, really." Veronica says, for lack of a better answer. The person across the table snorts into their hand.

  


"Honest. I like you." Stranger says, extending their hand. "Nice to meet you, my name is Yoon Jeonghan." Veronica shakes his hand when it's extended to her. 

  


"Veronica, but my real name is Hansol." She supplies, to which Jeonghan smiles at. 

  


“How old are you?”

  


“Twenty-two.”

  


“Nice to know. Next time we meet, I hope you’ll call me hyung. But first, you ever see a drag queen high out of her fucking mind on national television?" Jeonghan asks Veronica, and that's when the conversation gets moving. 

  


During the time she's at the table for, she meets the other three people there. Joshua, Jeonghan's boyfriend first and respected business partner second, is a mischievous man, but interesting in his own way. He's from America, Veronica notes, but only came to the country to pursue a relationship with Jeonghan. Together, they ran a shared drag updates account for the local Seoul drag scene, which Veronica finds interesting. She clicks with them well enough to keep a steady conversion.

  


Hyunjoon is pretty much everyone's friend. He doesn't talk much directly, but Jeonghan fills Veronica in with the basic details. He's famous within the friend circle, for lack of a better term: being an unashamed exhibitionist. Apparently, when his parents used to still take him to church in highschool, he was caught doing something nasty in the church bathroom. Sunwoo, who currently was somewhere else in the building, was the first hand witness to discover Hyunjoon with another boy's phallus down his throat. 

  


And apparently they worship him like a deity, too, as a joke. 

  


Veronica learns about Jihoon last. He's a complex person, she finds. Everything that Joshua and Jeonghan try to tell her about him goes over her head, which makes it hard for her to talk to him, really. A lot of jokes that she doesn’t understand hit a lot like a vase on concrete.

  


Jeonghan ditches the table for a few moments only to come back a handful of drinks for everyone. He hands them to everyone gently, before throwing himself back into the booth with a thud. 

  


"Veronica, tell us about yourself. All we've done is talk about ourselves." Joshua smiles from the opposite side of the table, and Veronica flushes. 

  


"Well, uh," She says, hesitating. "I'm not actually a full time drag queen or anything." 

  


"As I've heard." Hyunjoon says from his spot at the table. 

  


"I work pretty much all the time," she laughs. "During the day I work at a kindergarten with children, and at night I'm a server and bartender at that one place on the closer end of this street. Do you know the Red Velvet? Yeah. I work there." 

  


"Oh! I've been there a few times. Really good food and service." Jeonghan says. "I'm friends with Sooyoung. We always sit in her section." 

  


“Sooyoung’s great.” Veronica hums, sipping at her new drink. It's fruity, yet it's got a sour bite afterwards. "What's this drink?" 

  


"Haseul said it was an appletini." Jeonghan says.

  


"What the fuck." Jihoon says from where he's been sipping at his drink silently. Silence washes over the table while they formulate a collective reaction to the sudden proclamation. "Tell her to make a full pitcher of this bitch. Daddy's getting drunk tonight." 

  


"Jihoon, last time you got drunk, it was on absinthe lemonade and you stole a pair of tits and tried to prostitute yourself outside of Taemin's club." Joshua says, and everyone looks at Jihoon whose jaw drops open. "With Soonyoung watching you, must I add."

  


"You bitch!" Jihoon shouts, trying to climb over the table, but is feeble in his attempt as Hyunjoon reaches to hold him in place. "You promised to not talk about that ever again!" 

  


“I still have the video!” Jeonghan shouts.

  


“I’ll kill you too!” Jihoon shouts, pointing a finger at Jeonghan.

  


Veronica laughs, only quietly. Her first impression of quiet, small little Jihoon, has just changed. Instead of a quiet little kitten, he's more like a rabid chihuahua. 

  


It's humorous. 

  


The table converses for a while, time oozing by like honey while they talk about very wildly different things. It's when they stop to exchange social media and contact information that Jeonghan's telling them a story about Jihoon and Soonyoung, and the odd nature of the relationship between the two.

  


"So, when I walked into Soonyoung's apartment to drop something off that Jinki-hyung told me to deliver, I came upon the sight of little Jihoonie getting railed by Soonyoung on the kitchen counter. And that's why we call Jihoonie our resident Hoshi fucker." Jeonghan's babbling, until Joshua passes Veronica's phone that he quiets while he goes through it to fill things out. Jihoon, from where he sits next to her, is completely deadpan, and has a hand wrapped around his neck. 

  


Jeonghan hands back the cellphone when he's done, and then opens his mouth again. 

  


"Oh, don't look so down, Jihoonie!" He says. "You're always going to be the cutest little thing in the world."

  


"Fuck you." Jihoon spits. 

  


"Fuck Soonyoung instead. You little Hoshi fucker bitch." Jeonghan's tone takes a shift to spit back, before he looks back at Veronica. "Has it really been only a few hours, Veronica? It's felt like a decade. Let me adopt you into the family." 

  


Veronica laughs, checking her phone. It's a quarter after one now, and Hoshi hasn't come back yet. It's like she abandoned her at the table in favour of visiting with other people.

  


"I'll text Hoshi, you must want to do something else than sit with the old boogers who don't do anything, right?" Jeonghan asks, grabbing her hand.

  


“No, it’s fine, really-” Veronica is cut off mid-sentence, though she doesn’t exactly care. 

  


"Hey, I'm only twenty!" Hyunjoon complains from the end of the table. Jeonghan throws a balled up napkin at him.

  


"Silence, grandpa. Don't you think it's time you got back to the nursing home, huh?" Jeonghan responds, while he turns on his phone. Veronica watches as his fingers dance across the screen, typing a message. 

  


"Fuck you, hag. I thought we scattered your ashes years ago." Hyunjoon bites back, throwing back the napkin at Jeonghan. It falls short, skitting to a stop just before it reaches the eldest.

  


The two throw shallow insults at each other for a few minutes, with Joshua remaining seated in the middle of them to break up anything Jeonghan tried to instigate. 

  


A fluffy head of blonde hair that is most definitely not Hoshi, considering the differences in shape, and most namely, makeup, comes bustling up to the table. 

  


"Hey, everybody!" BlueJae greets everyone with a smile, offering up waves of her hands with excitement. She addresses Hyunjoon directly, while blowing him a kiss and winking. "Hello, Hyunjoon!"

  


Hyunjoon smiles at her in return. 

  


"I'm here to collect my new baby, if you don't mind." She helps to raise Veronica out of the booth and to hold her close to her side. "At Hoshi's request. Was Veronica sweet enough to be able to leave her with you next week?" 

  


Everyone nods in agreement, which BlueJae fucking  _ squeals  _ at, which hurts Veronica's ears more than it should. 

  


"Alright!" BlueJae smiles. "I'll see you all later!" 

  


The two of them turn around after a few goodbyes are exchanged, and BlueJae drags her through the crowd and to a stage door. 

  


"Hello, everybody!" BlueJae shouts as she enters the room, Veronica following shortly after. Everyone erupts into a collective cheer. 

  


Veronica is slammed by Hoshi, and soon after, Kabooki follows. She groans in pain, groaning louder when both girls squeeze her into a hug.

  


"Hey, baby!" Hoshi says. "How are you doing? Having fun? Was Jihoon and my boys well behaved?" 

  


"Hi, unnie." Veronica smiles. "I'm fine. Just a little tired."

  


"Can you hold out for a few more hours, at least? If not, I can have Chanshee and HiMoon take you to the back to change back into something comfortable." Hoshi asks, pressing her face to her daughter's.

  


"I'm fine. Don't worry about me." Veronica says, as Hoshi pulls away and looks her directly in the eyes. Her eyes narrow, looking at Veronica with intense gaze, yet an underlying layer of care and adoration sparkles within. 

  


"If that ever changes, tell one of us immediately. Your comfort and health is our responsibility, okay?" Hoshi tells her, before pulling her into a hug and pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. 

  


"Got it." She mumbles, hiding in Hoshi's shoulder. They fall into a calm silence, Hoshi swaying back and forth at a gentle pace. Veronica could almost fall asleep, that is until.

  


"Group hug!" A bright and cheery voice Veronica doesn’t recognise screams, before she’s body slammed yet again. There’s a few quiet ones who come up to join the hug after said unfamiliar queen, patting her gently in apology on behalf of their fellow queen. 

  


“Alright, alright!” Hoshi says, “Everyone off, now.” 

  


Everyone untangles from Veronica at Hoshi’s request, scattering back to their places around the room quietly, until Hoshi herself lets go of Veronica and tells her to wait patiently while she does some work. She’s gone within seconds, leaving Veronica standing alone in the middle of the room.

  


Except, Veronica does the complete opposite and slips out the door while Hoshi’s back up on stage introducing the mega stage, that’s going to take them to the end of the night simply on it’s own. Finalized by Hoshi herself, as usual. She heads back out onto the floor, while Kabooki takes her place on stage, hand gripping a microphone.

  


Veronica is too preoccupied with making her way up to the bar to even register the peppy girl group song playing above her head, but as Kabooki’s voice ripples through the club, it’s like the wind is knocked out of her. She keeps pushing the crowd, who is dancing and cheering at Kabooki as she belts the lyrics of the song. 

  


Arriving at the bartop, Veronica is greeted by one of the servers with a bright smile. 

  


“What can I get you?” She asks, leaning across the counter to be able to hear. The bar is definitely less crowded than it was earlier, and the servers have a lesser workload. She wipes the counter in front of Veronica while she waits.

  


“Just a Cosmopolitan, thank you.” Veronica says, and the server smiles at her while she gets to work. 

  


“Hey, didn’t Sanghani bring her easy bake oven?” One of the other bartenders shouts over the loud music in the club, which has Veronica’s server whipping her head around to face her co-worker while she squeezes a lime into a measuring cup. He watches as she strains the excess water off the ice with no more than a quick, reassuring glance before she’s pouring the contents of the glass into the shaker and then tamping the glass down onto it. She then tosses the shaker up above her head, catching it with her hands on the other side of her and shakes it like she means it. She sets the glass on the bartop, leaning over to strain the liquid in, in front of Veronica’s eyes. She floats a lime onto the drink and pulls away her hand, giving Veronica a wink and a smile as she grabs the money Veronica put on the counter in an awed daze.

  


“Enjoy!” She says, waving Veronica goodbye.

  


Veronica walks out into the crowd, staying near the wall as she tries to sneak back into the greenroom without being noticed. However, when she opens the door and slips in, everyone is distracted by a conversation BlueJae and Chanshee are having. 

  


“Where’d you get such a thing?” She hears BlueJae ask, while she pets Chanshee’s dress. 

  


In a quiet voice, Chanshee just says; “Gucci.”

  


“Really?” 

“No.” 

  


BlueJae is silent for a few moments before she says something. “ASOS.” Comes the flat, unimpressed tone. Someone covers a snort across the room.

  


“Yeah.” Chanshee says, voice deepening back up as she starts laughing. There’s laughter that follows it from the other queens, before instructed silence. Everyone's gaze seems to shift over to Veronica as they realise her presence in the room.

  
“Hey, Hoshi? Ain’t that your baby over by the wall? Why’s she got a drink?” Comes the confused and concerned voice of Sanghani, who points at her from across the room.

  


"Yeah!" Hoshi shouts. "Vero, where did you get the drink?" She asks, eyebrows raised as she comes up to Veronica, who is now attempting to hide into herself in a bout of embarrassment and fear.

  


"How did anyone miss her on the floor?" Chanshee asks from the back. "There were so many girls crawling on the floor!."

  


"Chanhee, shut up. Let Vernon speak." BlueJae says, and then there's a muffled yelp from the younger.

  


"The bartender gave it to me." Veronica says. 

  


"Well obviously. Who, specifically?" Hoshi responds, crossing her arms. 

  


"I don't know." Veronica takes a sip of her drink. "One of them who wasn't Gowon."

  


"I bet it's Sooyoung." Someone from the peanut gallery behind Hoshi says.

  


"Shut up. It was probably Haseul. She loves us girls too much and probably didn't know any better." 

  


"I don't remember who, really." Veronica says. "All I know is that when Gowon and I talked she said drinks were cheaper in the last hours, so I went and found out if they actually were."

  


"Cut the shit, baby." Hoshi says. "Are you uncomfortable? Do you want to go home? I can get someone to drive you back if you don't want to stay. Are we too much? Do you just want to sit with a table for the rest of the night?" 

  


"No!" Veronica shouts, spilling some of her drink on the floor. "I'm fine, really. My feet do hurt however, but it's nothing I haven't dealt with. I can work like this. I've dealt worse. Don't worry."

  


"Okay, baby." Hoshi says, leaning forward to press a kiss to the crown of her head. "Remember. Let me know, okay?" 

  


Veronica nods at that. 

  


-

  


“Thank you all for coming out tonight!” Kabooki yells into the mic before she exits the stage, smiling, sweaty, yet she still comes off so bright _. _

  


"And that's how you close off opening night!" She shouts, pulling off her shoes and tossing them on the floor. Everyone is gathered in the offstage room, the club now emptied and the public out of the building. It's somewhere near four in the morning, and there's still so much left to do. She joins the little crowd that is huddled around a table, upon it, a tall and slim figure bounces around on top it.

  


"Alright everybody, good work tonight! Same time tomorrow! Come if you can, don't if you can't. If you're working tomorrow, we have to clean tomorrow, so I'm going to say come in around four-ish." Hoshi shouts, clapping her hands while she’s standing on the table. Hani is behind her, holding her waist with a break-neck grip so she can catch Hoshi if she were to fall.

  


There’s a collective groan from the newly appointed peanut gallery. It’s pretty apparent how tired they all are, and it’s almost bizzare how much energy Hoshi has at four in the morning. 

  


“You can all go home, or go de-drag in the backroom. I have a baby to get cleaned up and sent home on the next available ride out with the Jubilee train. Go on, my little tiger pups, be free! Get home safely!”

  


Hoshi jumps off the table after everyone files out of the stage sideroom, Hani’s hands leaving her waist once she is settled on both feet, on the ground. Hani takes her leave shortly after, giving Hoshi a kiss before she’s off to wherever. 

  


“Come on, baby. Time to get this makeup all off of you and then get you home and in bed. We don’t want this ‘Hyunggu’ person you mentioned earlier to worry about you. I’ll give you the prime treatment, honey. You’re good with me.”

  


They make it back to the backroom, greeted by people in many stages of undress. This is where everyone goes to go back to their normal lives. No more Veronica Exotic past that threshold. No more BlueJae, but only an attractive young man in her place, face streaky with leftover blue body paint. No more HiMoon, but a cute, intelligent looking man in her wake. No more Jubilee, just the dork old Jun he’s so used to seeing. But somehow he feels it will be weirder seeing Hoshi out of drag. Who knows what she looks like under all the heavy stage makeup she had packed on. 

  


Hoshi sits Vernon into a chair, handing her a pack of makeup wipes and a container of balm to remove her makeup with. She fetches a wet cloth and then goes over the general lesson of how to remove the makeup before she goes to take off her own makeup. Vernon opens the jar of balm and takes off the fake eyelashes he was wearing before dipping his fingers into the container and putting it where Hoshi told him to. It all melts away, and any semblance of a persona is stripped away with it.

  


A vaguely familiar face drops into the seat next to him, with an open phone on the instagram search bar. 

  


“Hey, let’s exchange numbers and social media. I have an inkling that you might want someone to be able to talk to if you have any questions.” He says, smiling at Vernon, who offers a shy smile in response. 

  


“Oh, sure! My username is chwenotchew.” Vernon says, taking the phone into his hands to search himself up. The boy introduces himself as Kevin, and then Vernon just knows he’s going to make quick friends with him. Sharing his number with him seems easier once they get to chatting while doing so. Kevin even makes sure Vernon’s skin is baby soft after it’s been all wiped down. Though, the two newfound buddies part once another boy leans through the doorway and tells him it’s time to go. 

  


“Bye, Vernon!” Kevin calls out behind him, before he disappears around the corner. 

  


Jun, lounging on a chair behind him, laughs. “Did you make a new friend, baby?” He asks, teasingly. Vernon blushed furiously in response, before laughing.

  


“Maybe I did.” He grins, gummy smile and all.

  


Vernon dips his head back down to his cellphone, where he’s busy scrolling through Kevin’s feed. It doesn’t take him long to learn things about him that he would have found out through conversation, and it’s even more apparent when there’s photo’s of Kevin in a tight lip-lock with the boy from earlier displayed on his page. He absentmindedly double taps through a lot of Kevin’s newest pictures while he passes the time. 

  


Jun stands up though, breaking Vernon’s little second world solidarity, with Hyunggu’s clothes from earlier in his hands. “Just remembered you haven't gotten out of that dress yet. Come on, lets get that off of you while we wait for Hoshi.”

  


Vernon unzips his boots, kicking them onto the floor, while Jun pulls the wig off of his head. He pulls the wig cap off and then gives Vernon’s hair a ruffle to loosen it up. 

  


“Come on, arms up.” Jun instructs, and Vernon follows as he is told. The dress is pulled up and over his head and tossed aimlessly onto the back of another chair. Jun continues working, Vernon adapting a ragdoll like state to help Jun out. Jun just rolls with it and gets Vernon cleaned up and back in Hyunggu's clothes. 

  


Once Vernon has been changed, his makeup is wiped off best it can be, and his dick is untucked and is resting comfortably in his pants (thank the gods), Junhui pulls him up from the chair and bids everyone a farewell. Everyone wishes the two a safe drive, and that they would talk soon. 

  


“Goodnight, Vernon!” Hyunjae calls from the room as Jun drags him out, and Vernon mumbles out a response as his head drags on Jun’s shoulder.

  


He’s completely wiped out, and can’t wait to get home. Jun drags him out the back door and seats him in the car, buckling him in before he goes to the drivers side of the vehicle to start it and get on the on road. Vernon’s head is full of cotton and his eyes are droopy. He hardly registers the passing of time until he’s being dragged from the car in which he becomes slightly more awake to become slightly less dead weight. He recognises the silver hair of his roommate, who is currently clad in a shirt nine sizes too big for him and what he  _ thinks  _ is a pair of shorts. Hyunggu is waving his hand at Jun, who still sits in the car, smiling at the duo. Vernon’s in half a mind to lift his hand to wave at Jun, who smiles even brighter, before he waves and he’s driving off. 

  


“From the way you’re leaning on me I would have had to assume you drank more than half your body weight in liquor.” Hyunggu says, with a small chuckle. “I would have asked Jinho to help take you upstairs, but somehow he didn’t wake up when Jun called. Yuto and Wooseok completely passed out too, so it’s just you and me. Now let’s get you to bed, Nonnie.” 

  


Vernon groans, and he and Hyunggu make it up to the apartment in two separate pieces, though Hyunggu has had to bear most of the weight of Vernon, so while he punches in the door code, Vernon is leaned against the door frame, almost asleep, but opens his eyes enough to say something to his roommate.

  


“I had a fun time.” He says, before he passes out in Hyunggu’s arms.

  


Hyunggu smiles, patting his head. 

  


_ “Let’s get you to bed now. You’ve had a long day.” _


End file.
